The Light Is Not My Home
by yashkonu
Summary: Emerald wants out of her relationship with Cinder, and team RWBY might be her only option. Sequel to In the Dark, On the Way Out.
1. Chapter 1

Emerald woke to a pleasant softness, suffusing her body. The eye of the storm, she assumed, before the brunt of the hangover hit.

 _Beep Beep… Beep Beep… Beep Beep…_

Her alarm was less piercing than usual, though, which was nice. Drunk-Emerald must have remembered to turn the volume down for once. Thanks, drunk-Emerald. Judging by the color swimming in her vision, though, she hadn't remembered to turn the lights off before crashing. Probably best that she keep her eyes closed, then. With an effort, she struggled to remember the events of the previous night. The memories drifted back slowly and in fragments, like pockets of air rising through tar. Yet another clash with team RWBY, as per Cinder's orders, then… _something_. She remembered clashing with the faunus on their team, then… nothing. Just a lot of darkness.

 _Make sure they bring enough for two, Yang._

Emerald sat up with a jolt at the half-remembered words, and immediately wished she hadn't. A lance of agony shot like fire through her gut and tore a ragged cry from her throat. She pinned a hand to her side, gasping heavily with her eyes screwed shut. When the searing pain had died down to a dull ache, she risked a glance beneath her hand. Bandages were wrapped thick around her gut, with an angry red stain beginning to seep through. Probably not just a hangover, then.

She glanced around the room, trying to take stock of the situation. Thanks to her headfirst plunge into alertness, memories of the day before - assuming she had only been out for one day - were rushing back en masse. What she had taken to be an alarm was apparently a matching set of heart-rate monitors, one for her and one for that faunus from before - Blake, that was her name. She was either unconscious or asleep - it was hard to tell which. She _looked_ peaceful enough, but that could just be the anaesthetic. Emerald flinched at another twinge running through her gut, and she lay back gingerly against the infirmary bed.

 _I betrayed Cinder._ The thought made her blood run cold. _I betrayed Cinder Fall, and she's going to hunt me down and burn my bones to nothing._

The door to Blake and Emerald's shared room clicked open, and a young huntress with worried silver eyes stepped through. That would be Ruby, the team's leader. Emerald had spent long enough dodging the business end of the girl's scythe to remember her name vividly. Their eyes met, and Ruby gasped.

"Oh! You're, uh… you're awake. That's… good."

"Try-" The words came out raspy, and Emerald was suddenly aware of how dry her mouth was. She swallowed hard, and did her best to speak clearly. "Try not to sound _too_ happy to see me alive."

Ruby cocked an eyebrow, hands planted on her hips. "You've tried to kill my team _how_ many times, exactly?" Her gaze flicked to Emerald's bloodied abdomen. "You must have re-opened the wound. I'll get someone to wrap it again." With that she departed, cape billowing dramatically behind her as she turned. The effect would have been very impressive, had the cape's tail not caught in the door as she swung it shut. There was a thump from the other side of the door, some muffled unpleasantness, and the last inch of the cape was tugged through.

She couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. There went the fearsome Ruby Rose, peerless scythe-wielder and leader of Beacon's most deadly second-year team. Emerald herself had more than a couple scars from clashing with her. She was a prodigy, a spectre of death to enemies of Remnant, and she had just gotten her cape stuck in the door and fallen over.

Moments later a nurse entered, shot her a suspicious look, then set to changing the bandages without a word. In the moments when the wound was open to the air, Emerald made sure to inspect it as best she could without aggravating anything. It wasn't pretty. A jagged slice ran from her ribs to about an inch above her hipbone, where the blade had found purchase and driven home. There the flesh was still mangled, though Beacon's - probably Beacon's, though she supposed it could be any hospital, really - medical staff had done their best to clean things up.

Just as he finished reapplying Emerald's bandages, the nurse jumped at a soft groan from the bed across from them; it seemed Blake was returning to the land of the living. The nurse rushed across the room to check her over briefly, murmuring something that sounded a lot like "took you long enough." Satisfied after a brief check of her vitals, the nurse ducked out of the room, sparing Emerald only a sidelong glance in parting.

"Hey."

Emerald looked back to her stab-wound buddy, who by now was managing an unsteady grin. "Hey, yourself. Still alive?"

"Maybe like… half alive. Two thirds, tops." Her voice was like heavy footsteps on wet gravel. One Emerald's blades must have nicked her lungs.

Emerald managed a sad smile. "Before anyone else shows up, I just…" She tongued her cheek for a bit, searching for the words. "Thank you. For… convincing me to get out. I don't know where this is going to lead for me, and it might just get me killed, but… thanks for letting me see there was an option. I don't think I would have figured it out otherwise."

Blake opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the door bursting open hard enough to put a hole in the drywall behind it. The whole of team RWBY, plus several others Emerald didn't recognize, burst through and rushed to Blake's bedside. Amid the various cries of relief, she could just make out Blake's voice, pleading for a bit more space. Emerald couldn't help but chuckle at the havoc. Somehow, some way, an environment like this was responsible for producing some of the most deadly beings on Remnant.

"Give the girl some space, guys, yeesh."

The instant the words passed her lips, every head present swiveled to fix Emerald with a venomous glare. Not quite among friends, then.

Blake's voice, still hoarse, rose from somewhere behind the press of bodies. "I'd... like to talk with my team, if that's alright."

Several of those assembled filed out of the room, mumbling goodbyes and shooting daggers at Blake and Emerald, respectively. Once they had gone, Blake's team took up places on and around her bed, eyeing Emerald with that dubious look she'd become oh so familiar with recently.

Yang was the first to speak up. "Alright, Blake, you've gotta fill us in. Why exactly did we bother saving… _her?_ "

"She wants out. From what she told me, working with Cinder isn't something you just… walk away from. I… I know the feeling."

From a chair by Blake's bedside, Weiss sighed, with a hint of irritation. "Blake, I respect your feelings on the matter, but this is _Emerald Sustrai_ you're talking about. Master thief? Helped plan the attack on Vale? For dust's sake, she's tried to kill us nearly a dozen times! Why are we _helping_ her?"

"Do you want her to _keep_ trying to kill us?" Ooh, good one.

"I- no! Of course not, but… how do we _know_ , Blake? How do we know she isn't just waiting for a chance to slip a knife between our ribs?"

It was Ruby's turn to pipe up. "Yeah… She kinda already did that to you, Blake. Twice?" She glanced at Blake's wounded side and shoulder.

"Hey, technically that wasn't me."

"Oh really?" An unpleasant smarmy note entered Weiss's tone. Emerald got the feeling she was going to be hearing it a lot. "Then how, pray tell, did _your_ swords end up where they did?"

Blake raised her good hand. "I can answer that, actually. We were fighting on the roof of the building you guys found us in, and I strafed a supply cabinet with red dust rounds. After that…"

"You hit _that?_ Oh man, Mercury had like, ten kilos of black dust in there. Refined, too." A trio of understanding nods answered her.

"Still, we can't just trust you like that," Ruby mumbled, scratching at her sleeve, "Maybe you didn't do it _this_ time, but you were still _trying_ to stab Blake. I don't like the idea of keeping you this close."

Of course it was too good to be true. Blake had accepted that Emerald wanted out implicitly, but that had no impact on what her teammates thought. A note of desperation entered Emerald's voice. "Look, I-I know it's not fair of me to ask this of you guys. I've never done anything right by any of you, and you have every reason to want me dead, but… I _need_ to get away from her, and if I try to just… run? I'll be ashes inside a week. You guys are my only shot at getting out of this alive, y'know? Blake gets it, just ask her-"

 _"Them."_ The whole team had spoken at the same time. Emerald raised her good hand defensively.

Blake sighed, her- _their_ eyes downcast. "It's not her fault, guys. There's no way she could have known." They glanced back up to meet Emerald's eyes. "I'm agender, if you hadn't guessed."

"That's not going to be a problem, _is it?"_ Yang's eyes were slowly shifting to crimson.

Emerald just gave a lopsided shrug. "Should it? Without naming anyone, I've been living with a few trans folks for a long time now. I'm not about to give you any trouble there."

Blake flashed her a grateful smile, though Emerald swore she caught a "better not" growled under Yang's breath.

Ruby looked thoughtful, then spoke up, slowly at first, but with building confidence. "I think… Blake seems to trust you, and their trust is a lot harder to earn than most people's. If they think you're being honest… I don't know if we're really qualified to disagree. It's not really up to any of us, though; we're just second-year huntress trainees, and you're a wanted criminal. I let the headmaster know you two are awake, he said he's on his way down. What happens next is… up to him, really."

"You mean Ozpin? He tends to be… sneaky. Knowing my life is in his hands… doesn't exactly fill me with confidence."

Weiss grinned sardonically. "It really shouldn't."


	2. Chapter 2

Living beyond the bounds of polite society invariably changed people. No one who got into that life got out unscathed, and many never got out at all. Those who survived developed instincts to match their environment, and Emerald had done more than merely survive. Gradually, she had built up a sort of sixth sense for appraising people, and working with Cinder and Neo had honed that sense to a razor's edge. She could size up strangers at a glance, discern the harmless ones from the true threats, and act accordingly.

So when Ozpin materialized in the doorway without a breath of sound, brief panic gripped her chest. By the time she had noticed his lurking presence, he had fixed her with a piercing stare, looking not at her but _through_ her, picking her apart with a look. It was like having her soul under a microscope, laid bare to be dissected at his leisure.

The initial surge of panic faded, surprisingly enough, replaced by an odd acceptance. Around Cinder she had always been on edge, braced to defend against some outburst or betrayal, and Neo she simply avoided whenever possible. That girl gave her _chills_. Ozpin was different from them both, and not in a good way. She got the distinct, chilling impression that being on edge would do her no good, because even at her peak taking him on would be like fighting a Giant Nevermore with a half-melted crayon and a bag of wet marshmallows. It was the cold, unwavering knowledge that if this man decided she should die, she would simply die.

She held his gaze for a moment, transfixed, until Ruby caught his attention with a greeting and he turned to inspect Blake instead.

"I am glad to see you awake." His voice was no less unsettling. It carried the steady cadence and precise enunciation of words selected carefully in preparation, as though he already knew every word that would be spoken between them. He spared a glance back at Emerald, even as he moved to sit beside Blake's bed. "Both of you, though I am certain you may all be surprised to hear so." Judging by the varied looks of astonishment and aggravation directed at him from around the room, he was correct.

Weiss was positively indignant, and voiced as much. "Professor, you can't honestly mean you're _glad_ to have this… this… _delinquent_ running loose around Beacon!"

"She does not seem to be capable of running anywhere, for the time being. Miss Schnee, you would do well to remind yourself that our conflict with Cinder Fall bears few similarities to the timeless war with the creatures of Grimm. There are no absolutes here, only people fighting for what they believe in…" he paused, taking a long drink from a mug of probably-coffee, "... or what they are made to believe in. Grimm fight because they choose to, but things are not so simple when it comes to people."

Weiss stammered a few half-hearted protests, but eventually conceded with a grumbled "Yes, Professor Ozpin." With a kind smile at the humbled heiress, he spoke on in his steady tone. "I believe our best option is to hear this story from its source. Miss Sustrai, I understand you came here on your own volition. Do you feel you can explain why?"

Emerald flinched at the sudden shift of attention. Spotlights were rarely her idea of a good time, and now three people who wanted to kill her, one person who almost had, and one who could probably take out everyone in the building without breaking a sweat were shining one directly onto her.

"Uh."

"In your own time, of course."

She took as deep a breath as her bandages would allow, chewing her lip as she struggled to force her thoughts into some semblance of order. The hardest part, truly, wasn't explaining why she wanted to leave, it was explaining why she had stayed as long as she did.

"Well… I've never exactly been on… good terms with polite society. I grew up outside the kingdoms, but my family moved to Vale city when I was… I wanna say nine? Might have been ten. Anyway, things were great for all of… two months, maybe, before my parents got…" The memories were just too fucking _vivid._ No matter how many years passed she could still see their eyes going dull, still hear her own voice screaming itself hoarse. All for the twenty lien in her father's wallet and the scrap of silver around her mother's neck.

"... Emerald?" Ruby's voice, distant and indistinct.

She could have been a huntress. She could have owned a restaurant, could have gone to college, could have had any life she chose, but for twenty lien and a scrap of silver it had all been ripped away. What do you call an orphan no one knows? Nothing, that's what, because she might as well not have a name. You call her rat, you call her thief, you call her liar, cheat and whore. You call her whatever you want, because her name was sold for twenty lien and a scrap of silver.

"Emerald, are you… crying?"

And then, one day, someone had called her _Emerald._ A precious stone, a rare beauty, something to be treasured and safeguarded. Someone had called her Emerald, and offered her a chance to take back what had been stolen from her. How could she refuse?

"Maybe… we should do this later?"

With an effort, Emerald shook herself free of the past. It was always there, clinging to her heels like mud that would never quite dry, but she willed herself to the present regardless. "N-no, I'm sorry, I just… let me skip ahead a bit. I was on the streets for a few years before I met Cinder. She offered me the world to work for her; fame, fortune, the usual. I was young and stupid, I guess, because I believed her. I stuck with her for a long time; the money was good, and I was good at what I did. Then there was the… attack on Vale." Emerald shifted uncomfortably. "It… that was too far. Vale was never kind to me, but there are lines you don't cross. The problem was… you don't just walk away from Cinder Fall. I've seen enough traitors burned to ash to know that. I've wanted out since she started planning the attack, but… actually _getting_ out isn't that simple."

It wasn't the whole story, but she wasn't sure she could tell the whole story just yet. Maybe some day, if she lived that long. The assembled cast of team RWBY looked pensive. Ruby kept glancing between her and Ozpin, waiting for some verdict or another. Ozpin's soul-searching stare was back in action, but without the cutting edge it had held earlier.

After an uncomfortably long silence, Ozpin set aside his probably-coffee and spoke. "I see. Miss Sustrai, I believe we have much to discuss. However, I also believe you are badly injured and emotionally compromised, and as such our discussion will have to wait. For the time being," he reached into his shirt, withdrawing an slender bracelet of anodized green metal, "I am placing you in the custody of team RWBY."

Weiss shot to her feet. " _What?!_ Professor you can _not_ be seri-"

" _Miss_ Schnee." What a polite way to shut up a multi-billionaire. She sank back down to her seat on the edge of the bed, grumbling but humbled once again. "Your weapons have been confiscated, of course, and you will be required to wear this." He indicated the bracelet. On closer inspection, it appeared to glowing faintly. "This is an aura suppressor. In effect, it will return your aura to its 'unawakened' state, as well as disable any semblance you might have. Naturally, you will not be required to wear it until you have recovered from the worst of your injuries. In the event of an emergency, it may be removed by a directed aura pulse from any member of team RWBY or Beacon's faculty."

Ozpin retrieved his probably-coffee and rose, crossing the room to place the bracelet by Emerald's bed. As he did so, Emerald caught a sharp whisper. "I go to great lengths to protect my students, Miss Sustrai. Whether I will be protecting them _with_ you or protecting them _from_ you is your decision to make. I do hope you will choose wisely."

She swallowed hard. Wisely. Right.

* * *

Aura therapy was seldom pleasant. It always left the feeling that she'd gone without sleep just a _bit_ longer than she should have, that she'd skipped just one too many meals. It gave a distinct feeling of deficiency, but without any direction or substance. Fortunately, the infirmary staff were well-taught, well-practiced, or both. Likely both, given their station. Two days later Emerald and Blake's wounds had faded from grievous to merely irritating, and they were allowed to return to the dorms.

The aura suppressor clicked open along an invisible seam when Emerald picked it up, and she released a slow, unsteady breath as she placed it around her left wrist. She loathed the idea of being without her aura, particularly because it was only a matter of time before Cinder came knocking. There was no way around it, though. Ozpin had made it clear that wearing the damn thing was not optional.

As soon as it was around her wrist, the bracelet contracted with a smooth metallic hiss until it lay flush with her skin. Not tight enough to be uncomfortable, but enough that it would be impossible to remove without removing the hand as well. It pulsed once with green light - the exact shade of her hair, she noticed. Was it _custom?_ Had Ozpin... Who was she kidding, of course he had. He probably had a drawer full of similar bracelets for everyone else he expected to defect. She had expected the feeling of her aura being suppressed to be unpleasant; like claustrophobia or having her breathing restricted, maybe. Instead it was... cozy? Like waking up late on a Sunday morning and not wanting to get out of bed. Her aura wasn't restricted or cut away, it was just... dormant.

Ozpin had been kind enough to provide a fifth bed for the team without commenting on the state of their current bunks, though it meant that floor space was steadily becoming a precious commodity. After much discussion and rearranging, the additional bed was placed below the window, behind the team's low bookshelf. It required a bit of clambering to get into, but it would have to do, for the time being.

By the time they had all settled in for the night, Emerald had been made well aware of the team's various opinions of her. Weiss and Yang both seemed to hate her guts, obviously, but for different reasons. Weiss watched her like a hawk whenever possible, and from her earlier comments it was clear that she was waiting for some inevitable triple-crossing. Yang, on the other hand, appeared to be solely concerned with the safety of her teammates. With them aside, her attitude was one of measured ambivalence.

The verdict was still out on Ruby's opinion. She didn't seem to trust her impromptu roommate, but neither did she appear to dislike her. Blake was simply quiet and distant, though not unkind. For now, they were the closest thing she had to a friend. She borrowed a pair of loose sweatpants and an oversized shirt, settled into bed, and let sleep claim her.

* * *

Deep in the night Blake woke to a quiet, foreign sound, like a choked gasp. Instantly alert, they sat up as silently as possible, scanning the room to find its source. Ruby and Weiss were sleeping soundly, and Yang's gentle snoring drifted down from above. That only left…

In the pale light filtering through the window, Emerald was trembling in her sleep. Her face was a rictus of pained fear, and every so often small, hoarse cries escaped her; cries for mercy and gasps for air, desperate denials against some unknown accusation. Blake slipped out of bed with a sympathetic frown; they were no stranger to night terrors. They slid over the bookshelf to sit sideways beside the quaking girl, hesitated for a moment before running a hand gently along her back in a steady, rhythmic motion. She tensed at the touch but didn't wake, instead shifting slightly closer to them. At the sound of shifting fabric, Blake glanced around the room to see that the Weiss had woken as well, and was watching them silently with an unreadable expression.

Over time the tension in Emerald's body lessened, until she seemed to have returned to peaceful slumber. With a final glance at Weiss, who seemed to be deep in thought, Blake returned to their own bunk. It was late, and tomorrow promised to be eventful.


End file.
